It’s Backs to the Wall Lads!
England at Euro-2012 are starting to look like the last time we fought a war in the Ukraine. And I mean after the Charge of the Light Brigade. At least though the medical services are very much better.
I was listening to Sportsweek on Radio 5 Live and John Barnes, who probably knows more about suffering racism than most, was advising the players to concentrate on the football if the chants got bad in the Ukraine, like they might do. He advised against what Mario Balotelli had said he would do and walk off. He said “Let the referee and UEFA decide.” It might be difficult, but there are some strong characters in the England team. Remember too, in the first match against France, both teams will have quite a few black players and all of the players probably know each other well and will all stick together, if it turns ugly.
One-Nil to Ing-Er-Land
I’m just listening to the 606 phone in on BBC Radio 5. Everybody is being so negative.
I’ll admit that Roy has a problem, but it isn’t of his making. How many people would relish being dropped into the scenario he found himself, just a few weeks before a major tournament. Only a complete masochist! Or a Leo pig!
I remember 1966, when I was just 18. Were we optimistic? Of course not! We were looking forward to a good summer of football as the World Cup was going to be held in England.
We’re looking forward to a big summer of sport with the Olympics. And judging by the way the torch has been received in the last two weeks the country is getting fired up. If the players we’re sending to Euro 2012 aren’t getting turned on by that, they shouldn’t be going. They’ve also got three Chelsea players and Steven Gerrard, who’ve tasted European glory in the Champions League.
Going back to 1966, if you look at the side that won the World Cup, some were virtually unknown before the tournament. Jimmy Greaves was expected to be the man to score all the goals and Jimmy Armfield was supposed to be the right back. So is Rooney setting himself up for the Greaves role? We need some players to step up and be counted. I’ll put my money on Phil Jagielka, John Terry and Theo Walcott.
They’re still being negative on the phone-in.
The only positive thing I’ve heard is someone saying, he’d take a one-nil win in every game.
Staffordshire’s Finest
Yesterday BBC Radio 5 Live had a big day out at Stoke City’s Britannia Stadium. Apparently, the warm up comedian was Heening Wehn, who describes himself as the German Comedy Ambassador to Great Britain. Then there was an edition of Fighting Talk.
One of the first questions was about who was Staffordshire’s finest sportsman.
The panel went on to choose the obvious, Stanley Matthews, the football legend.
But the greatest sportsman from the county only got a passing reference.
Sydney Barnes was an amazing cricketer, who many pundits reckon was the greatest bowler ever. This is John Arlott’s view of his bowling.
He bowled right arm fast-medium but also had what Arlott called “the accuracy, spin and resource of a slow bowler”. Barnes’ high delivery provided him with a lift off the pitch that forced even the best batsmen to play him at an awkward height. He was clever at concealing his pace and could produce deliveries that were both appreciably faster and slower than his usual fast-medium pace; and could bowl an effective yorker.
In other words, he could bowl just about anything. Even the Australian, Richie Benaud, included him in his greatest cricket team of all time.
Like Matthews he was still playing at an advanced age. I saw a documentary about Barnes in the 1960s and at the age of around 90, he was still working for the local council. He must have been a remarkable man.
Beware the Leo Pig
Roy Hodgson is just seven days older than I am. So that makes us both Leo pigs. For more on this explosive mix of Chinese and European signs read this.
I know it’s all a load of old rubbish, but it seems to give them luck and end up in the right place at the right time.
We also all stick together. So here’s wishing you luck Roy. Not that Leo pigs need it.
Has Roy Hodgson Made a Good Decision Over Terry?
Let’s face it John Terry has a few problems. Except for the stupid red card, he got against Barcelona, none of these really concern his football.
Now that Chelsea has effectively won the European Champions League without him, he should be fired up to do well in Euro-2012, in a back four, that will contain, two of his club-mates. Only the right back is suspect, now that Kyle Walker is injured.
I suspect Roy Hodgson has told John Terry, that this will be his last chance to get a major honour by means of his playing skills.
So I think he called it right!
Not A Good Result for Ipswich Town
Today’s Championship Play-Off result, which sees West Ham going up to the Premier League and Blackpool staying behind is not good for Ipswich. And especially, for those supporters like me, who live in London. We lose a nice away match in East London and it is swapped for a trip to Bolton, Blackburn or Wolverhampton. Only, the latter is a reasonable trip from London.
Outside of the play-offs, we’ve also lost Reading, Southampton, Portsmouth, Coventry and Doncaster. Only Doncaster, although they have a nice stadium, is a bad journey. At least we’ve gained Charlton, but it looks like we’ll get two more Yorkshire clubs.
Is Beckham Going to the Olympics?
He may be past his sell-by date at 37, but I’m coming round to the view, that Stuart Pearce may pick David Beckham for Team GB at the Olympics.
But he could motivate a young team and all the hype could be a feint to install him as a coach. Let’s face it both Beckham and Pearce are bright enough to fool most of the people most of the time.
Everything so far in the way we’ve organised the Games has been very much conventional, so a surprise of the positive sort would be welcome and would unsettle other teams.
In the meantime, everybody should wait.
Greeks Knight David Beckham
Well not really, but the announcer at the flame handover ceremony in Athens yesterday, added Sir to David Beckham’s name at every opportunity. Perhaps with all their troubles, the Greeks may be following the Albanians, who famously offered CB Fry the throne, by knighting him and hoping he’ll give them a bit of publicity. The whole episode is reported in the Independent.
The Best UK Football Team Ever
The BBC are having a bit of fun here, naming the best UK side ever in front of the Olympics. These are all players, that I’ve seen play live, so those whose careers ended nefore about 1958 are out.
What surprises me, is the number of times Danny Blanchflower is mentioned in proposed teams, probably in many cases by people, who never saw him play. To my mind, he was the best I ever saw and would be made captain of my side.
The goalkeeper picks himself and there is no-one to rival another Ulsterman, Pat Jennings.
The right-back is a difficult one with Viv Anderson, George Cohen, Jimmy Armfield, Chris Lawler and Gary Neville. I will choose George, as we don’t win tournaments without a Cohen in the side.
One centre-back, Bobby Moore, picks himself and you can choose anyone from Billy Wright, Jack Charlton, Tony Adams, Billy McNeill and Terry Butcher. I was going to put Joleon Lescott in the list, until I saw the mistake he made this afternoon against QPR. I never saw Duncan Edwards play. So it has to be Terry Butcher, if only for his England performance against Sweden in qualifying for the World Cup.
The left-backs must include Ray Wilson, Stuart Pearce, Ashley Cole and Kenny Samson. I think I’ll take Ashley Cole.
I would choose the best midfield three I ever saw in it’s entirety; Blanchflower, John White and Dave Mackay. I saw that midfield many times and even some of the great sides we’ve seen in the last few years, could not have coped with the skill and intelligence of Blanchflower and White and the power of Mackay. They also weren’t short in the goal-scoring department.
I’ve always liked a speedy players to open up defenses and I’ve seen three of the best; Gareth Bale, Ryan Giggs and Cliff Jones. It’s not funny they’re all Welsh, as there have been large numbers of Welsh sprinters in athletics. In football, Leighton James was another fast left winger. Perhaps, the Welsh are just looking for the next world-beating successor to J J Williams et al. Incidentally, I believe Cliff Jones used to play some amateur rugby after he retired from football. Any one will do in truth, but I would take Gareth Bale.
That leaves me with two to play up front. They often go best in pairs, like John Toshack and Kevin Keegan, Alan Gilzean and Jimmy Greaves or currently Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck. On the other hand you have those like George Best and Gary Lineker, who very much worked indepoendently of the rest of the team. A lot of strikers too have problems and of course some are very selfish. I think that I’d put Rooney and Greaves up front. It would be an interesting experiment.
Obviously, you can disagree with my choice, but Blanchflower must stay as captain.
Germany v Greece
If things work out right, Germany will play Greece on June 22nd in Euro 2012 in the midst of a Greek General Election.
What fun?
The Anonymous Widower 